Compare And Contrast Gertrude And Ophelia

All too often, women in works of literature are seen as unimportant figures, and their lives revolving around men. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the two women of the play Gertrude and Ophelia, mother and lover of the main character Hamlet respectively, are commanded by the men on how to live. However, each woman reveals a different part of Hamlet. Although Gertrude and Ophelia cause different impacts, their roles in Hamlet are similar. In a play dominated by men, the two women are at the heart of Hamlet because their actions and words ignite Hamlet, portray Hamlet to others, and help Hamlet avenge his father.
Gertrude and Ophelia appear to play passive roles in the play, but their seemingly small and unseen actions actually …show more content…
With the death of Polonius, Ophelia was freed from her bonds of servitude because her father was dead, her brother is away, and Hamlet is no longer in the castle. With this liberty, Ophelia also suffers from insanity because she feels abandoned, being free for the first time. During her scolding from Polonius, Ophelia is asked what she thinks about the matters concerning Hamlet and she responds with “I do not know, my lord, what I should think” (Hamlet 1.3), showing that even her thoughts are dictated by the men around her. Going from having her mind controlled to having no orders to obey caused Ophelia to break down and begin to speak what the other characters believed to be nonsense. When Laertes returns, Ophelia, having this temporary freedom, makes the only decision of her life to commit suicide, so she never has to follow orders again. Her suicide provoked Hamlet to come out of hiding because at her funeral, Hamlet reveals his true love for Ophelia and throws away his antic disposition. With Ophelia dead, Hamlet gives up the craziness he puts on for show, and this leads to his confrontation with Laertes. Hamlet’s love and passion for Ophelia is reignited by her death because he sees how his striving to kill Claudius has led to the death of the one he loves. Hamlet is prompted to fence against Laertes in order to win a wager for his father, but without the death of Ophelia, Hamlet would not have been in a position to kill Claudius and instead outside the castle plotting. After fencing two rounds and declining to drink of the poisoned wine his father prepared, Hamlet’s mother Gertrude willingly drinks the wine. Although women have played smaller roles then the men in the play, they are by no means seen as foolish. Queen Gertrude has done her best to